


Spackle and Dust

by LacePendragon



Category: RWBY
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Agender Ozpin (RWBY), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Amputee, Background Relationships, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Home Renovation, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pining, Prosthetics, Queer Themes, Rating May Change, Scars, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Tattoos, Voyeurism, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 14:15:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18812599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LacePendragon/pseuds/LacePendragon
Summary: When James Ironwood moves into the decrepit, foreclosed house across the street from Qrow, his sister, and his in-laws, Qrow can't help but be curious about the man, especially when Ozpin mentions their shared military history. As Qrow gets to know his new neighbour, he finds that James is trying to renovate the old house and start fresh, across the country from where he grew up.But why is James running? What happened in the military with him and Ozpin? And why can't Qrow seem to get this serious, beautiful man out of his dreams?And is he really going to learn how to renovate a house just to get close to him?James came to the neighbourhood to find himself, but maybe coming here will help his neighbours, including Qrow, find themselves, as well.





	1. Moving Van

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FandomLastsForever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomLastsForever/gifts).



> Well. I have no excuses for this. It exists. It's gonna be a fun, slow burn adventure centering around a very queer neighbourhood, a lot of young couples and families, some fun ships, and IRONQROW. James and Qrow going from strangers to lovers is one of my favourite things to write in fiction, so I'm gonna write about a billion of these AUs.
> 
> It's 4am I got nothing, man. Just read the thing and decide if you wanna keep reading the thing. <3

When Qrow came downstairs at around nine thirty, the moving van was already parked across the street. He paused, narrowing his eyes as he squinted through the living room windows. The van didn’t vanish, despite his blinking and squinting. To be certain, he crossed the living room, stepping over Zwei’s sleeping form, and twitched the curtain to one side.

The van was still there.

Movers traversed in and out of the house across the street, which had been empty and decrepit as long as Qrow and his family had lived there -- a total of three years. There wasn’t a car in the driveway, nor was there anyone outside of the moving company uniform, which meant that, whoever had moved into the old Mantle House (as dubbed by Roman, down the street, who had named it such for the fireplace mantle mounted on the front door, for some reason) obviously wasn’t there right now.

“What’s going on?” came Taiyang’s voice. Qrow looked over his shoulder and found Tai shuffling down the stairs, shirtless and hairy as ever. He was like a golden carpet, if you asked Qrow. Though no one ever did.

“Someone’s moving into Mantle,” replied Qrow, stepping to the side so Tai could see. Taiyang rubbed at his eyes and frowned.

“Huh,” he said, “that’s weird.”  _ Yeah, no kidding _ . Taiyang looked to Qrow and raised an eyebrow. “See who it is, yet?”

Qrow shook his head and pursed his lips. “No,” he said. He narrowed his eyes at the movers. The singular, mid-sized moving van wasn’t even half the size of the one the STRQ clan had needed when they’d moved in, and that was before they had half their furniture. Whoever this was, they had maybe a bed, a couch, a desk, and some other shit that wasn’t all that substantial.

Though, Qrow supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. The Mantle house was worn out as hell. He was surprised anyone could even legally live there. The neighbourhood was too nice for squatters, so the house hadn’t been vandalized -- especially not with Ghira’s vigilant neighbourhood watch program -- but it certainly hadn’t stood the test of time.

“I’m gonna go talk to Oz,” said Qrow, shuffling toward the front door to shove on his flip-flops. “They know everything.” Taiyang grunted in response, obviously still half asleep, and Qrow struck off across the dew-dampened lawn toward Ozpin’s house at the end of the street.

The May morning was warm enough for his pyjamas -- a tee shirt and some plaid pants -- to keep him warm, and Qrow took a moment to tilt his head back and close his eyes. The sun shone down, peaking over the mountains in the east, which always delayed the sunrise, strong and warm, and Qrow let himself bask in it.

It was a good day.

He kept going, passing Roman’s house, where Junior was working on his old Cadillac in the driveway -- he waved, Qrow waved back -- and passed the Oobleck house, where the upstairs windows were half obscured by books from the other side. There were other houses, too, like the Schnee house, with Glynda, Willow, and six year old Winter, on the other side of the street, and the Belladonnas, with basement dweller and fellow gamer, Tukson, were next to the Schnees, as well.

In the other direction, away from Ozpin’s and toward the main road that cut through the city, there were the Rens, the Cotta-Arc girls (which reminded Qrow, he’d promised to bake them some cupcakes, this weekend), as well as Maria in and Leo in their little bungalows, Caroline in her cottage, Sienna in her big, empty house, and Hazel, with his daughter, Amber.

There were others scattered throughout the neighbourhood, including the Corsac brothers, who Qrow was half convinced were in some creepy, incest cult, though Summer said they were fine young men and he was being judgemental, as well as Klein, who worked mainly as a cleaner for some of the wealthier families in the neighbourhood.

Plus, there was Jacques and the Winchesters, but no one really spoke to them.

Ozpin was off on their own, at the end of the street, with the lot across from theirs long since abandoned to the wilds. Apparently, the city wanted to build a park there, which would be nice. There weren’t many kids in the neighbourhood, yet, just the two (three, if you counted the Winchester kid, who Qrow wasn’t convinced actually existed) at the moment, but there were probably more coming in the future.

Not the least of which because Summer kept staring at Winter like she was both dying and living for every moment with her.

Ozpin’s house was probably the nicest house on the street, but it wasn’t the biggest. Two stories and a couple of bedrooms, with a well-manicured garden that they always seemed to be working on. Qrow had asked once, where Ozpin got the sort of money they did, and Ozpin had waved him off, telling him that they mostly wrote books. Though, what books, Qrow had no idea.

Probably porn, if Ozpin’s well-kept, buttoned-up look was anything to go by. It was always the ones you least suspected.

Qrow knocked on the door and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pyjamas, rocking on his heels as he waited for an answer.

He didn’t wait long. Ozpin opened the door, dressed for the day in khakis and a light blue, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up above their elbows and the top button undone. The look revealed some of Ozpin’s extensive tattoos, including the bottom halves of their arm sleeves, as well as the continuation of the art around their neck and across their collarbone. The secret garden, Summer always called it, due to the watercolour flowers and animals mixed with the chess and fairytale imagery.

“Qrow,” said Ozpin, smiling. They pushed up their glasses with one finger and gestured for Qrow to enter. “Come in, come in.”

Qrow followed Ozpin into their living room, where he took a spot near the window, leaning against the wall. Ozpin sat down in their easy chair, their tea steaming on the little table next to them, and their cane leaned against the arm of the chair.

“I take it this is about our new neighbour?” asked Ozpin, lifting their teacup and saucer. They sipped at the drink, which Qrow could smell from across the room. Cinnamon and blueberry, he was pretty sure. “You always were curious about the Mantle house.”

“Shit’s haunted,” said Qrow, flatly. He pressed his lips together and cast a look out the window and down the street. The house was visible at the edge of the window, watching him, taunting him. Or maybe that was the lack of caffeine talking. “So, you know anything about ‘em?”

Ozpin hummed and took another sip of their tea. They watched Qrow with narrowed eyes, but the gaze was more curious than judgemental.

Qrow waited as Ozpin kept drinking their tea. After a minute, they set it aside, saucer included, and clasped their hands together just beneath their face.

“Perhaps you should introduce yourself, first,” said Ozpin, a wry smile twisting their features into something implike. Their gaze twinkled with amusement. “Certainly, that is less intrusive than this.”

Qrow rolled his eyes and folded his arms loose across his chest. “You don’t know anything, do you?” he asked, raising both eyebrows.

Ozpin shrugged, easy as breathing, and lifted their tea to drink it again. “Perhaps,” they said, agreeable enough.

Qrow frowned, narrowing his eyes. “So you  _ do _ know something.”

Ozpin took another sip. “Perhaps.”

With a scowl, Qrow gave a huff. “You’re impossible.”

“Why yes, thank you for noticing,” said Ozpin, chuckling.

“Honestly,” muttered Qrow, shaking his head. “So, what, you’re not gonna say anything? One way or the other?” He narrowed his eyes at Ozpin, once again, and then blinked a few times when his eyes started to burn from being too dry. “Why do I even bother?”

Ozpin shrugged. “I suppose because you enjoy my company.” They raised an eyebrow. “Though, I cannot imagine why, with how often I seem to irritate you.”

“Hey, you’re fine,” said Qrow. “For an old bat, anyway.”

Ozpin huffed, indignant. “I am barely ten years your senior, Qrow. I’m not  _ old. _ ” They cracked a smile. “But, thank you for the reassurance toward our friendship.”

Qrow cracked a smile, allowing his frustrations to melt away. Sure, he wanted the truth, but if Ozpin did know something and wasn’t talking, it was probably for a good reason. Strange as they were, they had their reasons for their decisions, and Qrow hadn’t been steered  _ too _ wrong by them in the past.

Now, if only he could convince Ozpin that people actually liked them, and they weren’t just keeping Ozpin around for laughs or diversity points or what have you.

“Right, so, really not gonna say anything?” asked Qrow, trying one last time.

Ozpin pressed their lips together and hummed. Then, they said, “I know him.”

Qrow blinked. “Yeah? You gonna go say hi?”

“He… doesn’t know me,” said Ozpin. Qrow blinked again. What? “We served in the military together, before I came out. I don’t doubt he’d recognize me, but I’d rather put it off as long as I can.”

That made more sense. Ozpin’s life, pre-domestic neighbourhood watching, had mostly been military and private contract work. Whatever it was that had driven them into early retirement and mysterious book writing, they didn’t like to talk about, and Qrow had always respected that.

So, if this guy knew Ozpin before they  _ were _ Ozpin, then of course Oz was scared to go say hi or say anything about him. Hell, Qrow hated when people got his name wrong on principle. He couldn’t imagine what that’d be like for someone in Oz’s position.

He probably should go get Glynda. Glynda understood gender. She had a genetic kid with another woman running around, after all. And Winter was  _ adorable _ , despite being an absolute menace that couldn’t stand Qrow.

Instead, Qrow settled for crossing the room and laying a hand on Ozpin’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze and offering them a reassuring smile. Ozpin returned the smile and lifted their hand to squeeze Qrow’s.

“I should get to work,” said Ozpin, “but I appreciate your visit.” It was a dismissal, Qrow knew. Ozpin’s anxiety and introversion kicking in.

“Sure, have a good day, Oz,” said Qrow. He retracted his hand, gave a little mock salute to Ozpin, and headed out the door, making sure to close it behind him.

As he moved back down the street, he stopped to talk to Junior, who sat next to his Cadillac, drinking water.

“Morning, Qrow,” rumbled Junior, his low voice pulled lower by exertion. “See the van?” He nodded toward the Mantle house. “Any ideas?”

Qrow shook his head and stuffed his thumbs in the waistband of his pants. “Not really.” He figured Oz would appreciate the discretion. “Whoever it is hasn’t shown up yet.” He cast a glance over his shoulder and found the movers closing up the house and getting back into their van. They probably hadn’t put anything where it was supposed to go, just left it all scattered on the main floor.

Served the guy right for not being here when the movers were. Least the movers seemed like they hadn’t bust anything or stolen anything. Granted, they also seemed pretty legit, like they belonged in this “up and coming neighbourhood” as the real estate agents were always calling it.

“The house has been a hell of an eyesore,” said Junior, wiping his hands off with a grease and oil streaked hand towel. “Hopefully whoever bought it is going to renovate the place.”

Qrow snorted. “Or maybe he’ll just tear it down.” That’d be interesting, but wouldn’t explain why the movers had put shit in the house. Plus, he was pretty sure it was illegal to tear down houses that old in this part of town without some kind of special permit. He didn’t know. The most he’d ever done in terms of “home improvement” was painting some walls, patching a hole in the kitchen, and replacing the knobs on all the cabinets.

Cosmetic shit, and nowhere near the level of complexity that handling the Mantle house would be.

“Maybe,” agreed Junior. He stood and set the cloth down on the hood of the car.

Qrow lifted his chin. “Where’s Roman, this morning?”

Junior shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face, smudging his beard with grease. “Work, Sally called in sick again.”

Qrow snorted. “Of course she did. She better be pregnant or dying, for how often she’s dragging Roman into overtime.”

“Yeah,” said Junior. “Anyway, I gotta get inside and do some housework. Later, Qrow.”

“Later, Junior.” Qrow lifted a hand in goodbye and headed back to the house, taking another pause to study the house, the leaving movers, and the strange happenings across the road. He frowned to himself, pursing his lips, then turned and headed into the house.

Inside, Taiyang was leaned against the doorway, staring out the living room window. He lifted his head when Qrow came in and raised an eyebrow.

“So, what’s the word?” he asked.

“Just some guy, apparently,” said Qrow, folding his arms and leaning next to Tai. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what he’s up to.”

“You don’t trust him, already?” asked Tai, cocking an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Qrow frowned. There was no good way to tell Tai about Oz’s anxieties surrounding this guy without breaking confidence with Oz. Ozpin hadn’t said not to tell Tai, Summer, or Raven, but he figured that went without saying.

“Dunno,” said Qrow, shrugging. “Just… a feeling, I guess.” That was a big fat lie. But it all depended on how the guy acted with Ozpin. If he was cool with Ozpin’s new self, then Qrow would give him a chance. Otherwise, Qrow might have to run him out of the neighbourhood.

It wouldn’t be the first time they’d run a transphobe out of the neighbourhood. Too bad Jacques and the Winchesters were resistant to all forms of passive aggression. Bastards.

“Come on, let’s go wake up your wives and make some pancakes,” said Qrow. He clapped Tai on the shoulder and headed up the stairs, toward Summer and Raven.

Whoever this guy was, Qrow worried he was gonna mess up the neighbourhood. They had a good thing going, this crowd, and they didn’t need another Jacques. Plus, Qrow wasn’t big on ex-military. Too many horror stories from Ozpin to trust ex-soldiers. Especially men.

Whatever. He’d get a read on this guy the moment he showed up. Or at least, he’d try.

No one was messing with his neighbourhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also: Corsac brothers was on purpose. Qrow is chaotic dumbass.


	2. New Neighbour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first meeting doesn't go over well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chanting* SLOW BURN SLOW BURN SLOW BURN
> 
> Also thank you to everyone who liked the fic so far! Y'all are grand! <3
> 
> Feedback is appreciated!

By noon, Mr. New Guy’s SUV was in the driveway of the Mantle house and Qrow was peering out the window again, this time dressed for the day and scowling at the dark blue SUV and its shiny new car look. The car had to be worth three times as much as Tai’s or Summer’s. Maybe more, considering Tai was driving a used Honda Civic from 2012.

“So, what’s the verdict?” asked Raven, coming up next to him. She handed him a cup of coffee and sipped at her own, her long hair pulled back into a high, loose ponytail. “Who’s the new Richie Rich of Patch Crescent?”

Qrow sipped his coffee and grimaced. Too hot. Cream and five sugars didn’t exactly cool down coffee quickly, but he never stopped hoping. Maybe he needed to add an ice cube to his coffee before he drank it. But then, Raven would probably start teasing him about it.

Damn sisters.

“Dunno, he hasn’t gotten out of his car, yet,” he replied.

Raven raised an eyebrow at him, watching him without turning away from the window. “He?” she echoed.

Qrow bit down a grimace. Of course she’d pick up on that. She never missed anything.

“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat. “Saw a glimpse of him as he drove up.” Another lie, but a small one, and even if Raven picked up on it, she’d probably assume he was covering for a friend. Most likely Ozpin, but she wouldn’t comment on it.

“Can’t believe someone would be stupid enough to buy the Mantle house,” muttered Raven into her coffee cup. She frowned and narrowed her eyes at the SUV as the door opened. They both watched as a large, broad-shouldered man stepped out of the SUV.

From the distance, Qrow faintly made out his skin tone as East Asian, maybe Chinese, like Tai, and he had short, combed black hair. Despite the heat, he wore long sleeves and a high collar. A turtleneck, Qrow guessed. He walked a little crooked, like he was favouring his right side, and he didn’t look around as he strolled up his driveway and walked into the house.

The door shut, silent from the distance, and Qrow and Raven looked at one another, both with raised eyebrows.

“So,” said Raven. “He seems friendly.”

Qrow snorted and rolled his eyes. He sipped at his coffee, cursing when it burnt his tongue. “Whoever he is, I don’t care, so long as he doesn’t fuck up the neighbourhood.” He scowled. “Last thing we need is another fucking Winchester.”

“Amen to that,” replied Raven. The two clinked cups and settled into the living room. Raven sat down next to Zwei and scratched him behind the ears as she watched the street with narrowed eyes. Qrow settled for picking up his phone and scrolling through Twitter. Mostly, he wanted to look at all the ThoughtsofDog and WeRateDogs posts that he’d missed. The news was fine, but definitely not his favourite thing.

Summer came bounding down the stairs, hair damp and cheeks flushed. Qrow lifted his head and rolled his eyes when Tai appeared behind her, also damp and flushed.

At least the house was soundproofed. Small miracles.

“So? Who’s the new neighbour?” asked Summer, flopping onto the couch next to Summer. Tai dropped down next to Qrow and shook his head, spraying water everywhere. Qrow groaned and shielded himself, yelping in protest.

“Tai!” he shouted.

Tai cackled and shook more water onto him.

Raven snorted. “Some pompous, rich looking asshole. No one special, far as I can tell. He seems…” She shrugged. “Boring.”

Summer hummed and tapped at her chin, pursing her lips. “Okay, but, was he hot?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

Raven rolled her eyes. “How the fuck should I know?” she asked. “I married the only man I ever found interesting.” She nodded at Qrow. “Ask him, he’s the gay one.”

All three heads turned toward Qrow. He shrugged, thinking back at his glimpse of the man. He hadn’t even seen the guy’s face, just his back and his ass. And it’d been an  _ all right _ ass, but it hadn’t been anything to write home about, at least from that distance. But the dude had been in loose fitting slacks and a turtleneck, nothing that you could use to judge someone’s body. And well, personality went a long way to making people attractive. Just sayin’.

“I dunno, didn’t get a good look at him.” Qrow frowned. “But he seemed older than us, based on how he was dressing. Early thirties, at most?” he guessed. The STRQ clan ranged from twenty-four to twenty-six, with Summer being the oldest and Tai being the youngest. From the back, the guy seemed like he was probably five, six years older than Summer. That’d put him about the same age as Ozpin, which would make sense, if they served together.

“Older men can be attractive,” said Summer, stretching languidly on the couch. “But if you think he’s gonna be a dick…” She trailed off and hummed again. Springing up, she said, “I’ve got an idea. Let’s take him a welcome gift!” She rubbed her hands together and grinned, every bit the schemer. “Then we can get the scoop on Mr. Mysterious.”

Raven gave Qrow a flat look. “I volunteer Qrow for sacrifice.”

Qrow squawked. “Hey!” he protested. Summer grinned and grabbed Qrow’s arm, pulling him up and trying to drag him toward the kitchen. “Why am I the victim, here? I don’t even wanna meet the guy!”

“Tough shit, mister, you’re coming with me,” said Summer. She dragged him toward the kitchen and Qrow’s feet lost their grip, slipping across the hardwood floors.

“Why are you so strong?” he asked, voice bouncing off the walls as Raven and Taiyang laughed behind him.

Summer grinned. “I’m full of surprises.”

Two hours and a lot of flour later, Summer and Qrow were heading across the street with a basket full of three kinds of cookies, some fruit, and some household stuff that Summer claimed “everyone forgot to buy when they first moved”. At least most of the cookies were still at the house, and at least Summer agreed to do the laundry created by all the damn cooking. Plus, she was going to clean the kitchen  _ and _ make surf and turf for him tomorrow night for dinner.

Stupid disorganized baking and meeting new people. Qrow just wanted to stay home and play World of Remnant or Clash of Grimm. He, Taiyang, Kali, and Bart were working on the new raids in the latest WoR expansion, and Qrow had been trying to level up his Carrion thief for way longer than he should have been.

But that was the issue with being an adult, he guessed. Stupid garage work. Even if he liked it, shit was still getting in the way of his being a lazy video game playing bum. Damn.

“Come on, come on,” said Summer, holding the basket and skipping ahead of him. She grinned at him as she darted across the street. Qrow followed after, hands stuffed in the pockets of his shorts and shoulders slumped forward. He all but dragged his feet, wanting to put this off as long as possible. The guy had  _ not _ seemed friendly, and he really didn’t want Summer bringing up Ozpin if the guy asked about the neighbourhood.

Ozma Ozpin was not exactly a common name, and the moment Summer said one of those names, the guy would almost certainly recognize it.

Qrow almost wished Oz had changed their name when they’d come out. That would have made this whole spectacle a  _ lot _ easier.

But, even if Ozpin  _ wasn’t _ a factor, the fact that the guy had sent his movers ahead, showed up on his own, and seemed like a pompous, overdressed,  _ fuckface _ wasn’t exactly putting Qrow in a good mood. And if this guy made a wrong move, Qrow was gonna be tempted to punch him in the face.

And he really, really didn’t need that as a charge. He was trying to be a good adult after his wild days as a teenage delinquent. Plus, no way in hell he could become a foster parent when he was older if he had an assault charge on his record.

Summer skipped up the driveway, Qrow dragging his feet behind her, up the stairs, and rapped on the door. She bounced on her toes, her sundress swaying both with her movements and with the light breeze. The sun beat down, angled from the early afternoon enough that it shone mostly onto the porch.

Qrow joined Summer on the porch just as the old, worn door swung open and the two came face to face with their new neighbour.

Up close, the man was probably five, six inches taller than Qrow, and twice as broad as he was. He looked down at them both with a stern, almost annoyed expression, and his eyes, deep blue, were cold steel.

“Can I help you?” asked the man. His voice was low and firm, almost impatient, almost annoyed. Like he was being polite just because he had to be, rather than because he wanted to be. A difference Qrow dealt with way too often for someone not in customer service or retail.

“Hi!” chirped Summer, either oblivious to the man’s tone and expression or else ignoring it just because she could. Seeing as it was Summer, the odds were pretty even on which it was. “We’re your neighbours, from across the street.” She waved toward the STRQ house without turning. “We wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood and offer you a little gift.” She held up the basket under her chin and beamed. “Hope you like cookies!”

The man raised one eyebrow, and Qrow noticed that he had a sliver of metal above his right one. “Thank you,” he said. He took the basket from her. “I appreciate the gesture.”

Summer stretched her arms above her head. “It’s no problem. I’m Summer.” She held out her hand to the man, who shifted the basket to one hand and took it. Qrow noticed that he wore a white glove on his right hand that disappeared into his sleeves.

“James,” he replied. He released Summer’s hand and looked to Qrow, eyebrows just barely raised.

“Qrow,” he said, voice curt.

James’ eyebrows rose further. “Those are certainly names.”

Qrow frowned. Yeah, he did  _ not _ like this guy. He was standoffish, ungrateful, and definitely making fun of them. Like he thought he was better than them or some shit. Jackass.

“So, how come you bought the Mantle house?” asked Summer, swinging her arms back and forth at her sides. Qrow had to hand it to Summer, she could handle just about anything or anyone with unending, relentless kindness.

“Mantle house?” echoed James.

Summer pointed above the door, where the fireplace mantle was mounted. “We call it that because of the weird door frame it has.” She cocked her head to one side. “You renovating it?”

“That is the idea,” replied James. He glanced over his shoulder, back into the house, and hummed. “I need to unpack.” He looked from Summer, to Qrow, then back again. “Thank you for the gift.” He stepped back, hand on the door.

“Sure thing,” said Summer. “And if you need anything, don’t be afraid to knock. We don’t bite.” She winked at him and giggled. James nodded, eyes narrowed, and closed the door, leaving Summer and Qrow alone on the porch.

Summer turned and headed down the steps and back toward the house. Qrow followed after her. He waited until they were halfway across the street before he spoke.

“Yeah, definitely a jackass,” said Qrow.

Summer hummed in agreement and looked at Qrow with mischief in her eyes. “Well then, we’ll just have to kill him with kindness.” She broke into a wide smile. “And besides, you never know Qrow, he might just be shy.”

Qrow thought about the glove and the metal sliver on his forehead. He thought about the tense way the man held himself and the fact that the only information he’d offered was his name. He frowned to himself and shook his head, pursing his lips.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But I still don’t like him.”

Summer patted Qrow on the shoulder. “You don’t like anyone,” she replied. And, before Qrow could protest, she sprinted into the house, leaving Qrow to curse after her and give chase.

He liked plenty of people! He liked the whole damn neighbourhood, bar the two jackasses at the end of the road. But this guy? This “James” -- if that really  _ was _ his name -- struck him the wrong way. He was hiding something.

And Qrow didn’t like it one bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love!


End file.
